Opening Reception 3-5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26 | Goppert Gallery
(Leavenworth, Kan.)—The University of Saint Mary welcomes, "Sightings and Daydreams," featuring the works of Joy Anne Duquette in the university's Goppert Gallery, on USM's Leavenworth campus, 4100 South 4th Street.
The opening reception will be from 3-5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, in the Goppert Gallery.
Dr. Connie Wollenhaupt, music therapist, will be playing harp at the opening reception.
The event is free and open to the public. The show will be on display weekdays through
Feb. 2 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Duquette's exhibit demonstrates the value of art as a creative, therapeutic outlet—revealing
her special gift (she calls "sightings"). Sightings allow her to see hidden figures
in rocks and wood, a gift that came to life after being diagnosed with schizophrenia
shortly after graduating from California State University-Chico. She also battles
persistent health issues, including painful muscle spasms in her neck that alter her
posture. Art has been a continual source of happiness and joy for Duquette, with each
work carrying a special meaning and memory.
'Sightings and Daydreams' will display a culmination of over 50 works Duquette created
over four decades. Duquette's work is typically done in watercolor and acrylics, but
she also enjoys pen and ink sketches, washes, and pencil drawings. Her work has been
exhibited and published in several collections, and she recently completed a "Stations
of the Cross" series, which she looks forward to debuting in the Goppert Gallery.
A native of North Carolina, Duquette is one of eight children—one being USM's very
own Jackie Asherman, assistant professor of nursing. She spent her childhood moving
from state to state and even spent time in France, as her father was an Air Force
pilot. Everywhere Duquette has lived, she has drawn and painted the minute details
of the faces, flowers, and animals surrounding her. She recalled her lifelong love
for art, saying, "As a child, I enjoyed wearing a smock and working on art, like clay,
poster paints, and coloring books. I had a special feeling for expressing myself creatively.
As I grew up, I gathered more artistic talent and strength."
Duquette now calls Piper, Kan. "home"—where she happily lives with her parents and
her cherished rescue animals.
For more on the exhibit or on USM's art therapy concentration, contact Shelby Prindaville, art program director, at 913-758-6184 or Shelby.Prindaville@stmary.edu.
The University of Saint Mary is a Catholic co-educational applied liberal arts university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The University of Saint Mary main campus is located at 4100 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, Kan. USM's Overland Park Campus at 4500 College Boulevard offers evening accelerated graduate and undergraduate degree-completion programs. The university also offers online programs. Visit stmary.edu for more information.